René has always had a hard time lighting the pilot for our Maytag RV oven. I never had a problem, so I always gave her a hard time in return.
Then one day I couldn’t get it to light.
After far too many times of kneeling before the Magic Chef, praying that it would light, we decided to call for service since it was still under warranty. But not before I dissected and reassembled the pilot assembly and combed the owner’s manual for assistance. There was none.
The range top has an ignition switch that works like a charm, every time. Knock on wood. But to light the oven, you must hold in the dial while holding a lighter under the pilot for a minute, or two. Or three or four in our case. After waiting about five minutes one time we finally gave up and called a local Maytag repair shop when camped out at Lake Manatee State Park.
René did her usual RV issue research and discovered that this troublesome RV range is known for having problems with the thermocouple. This made sense to me since it would glow good and hot but refuse to allow the pilot to remain lit. The manual indicated that the oven had “no user serviceable parts” but that didn’t stop me from giving it a try.
FYI: Search for “RV” or “Magic Chef” on the Maytag website and you will get no results.
I did not feel very confident about the repairman that finally showed up when I noticed he had no idea how to light an RV oven. Hell, he had a hard time lighting our lighter! So he went out to his truck to get his own. It was exactly the same.
I tried to explain the problem, but he insisted on just slamming the knob around and grunting.
Finally I watched him adjust a tiny little screw near the thermostat dial. I obviously overlooked this or thought it was strictly structural. Like I said, the manual was no help! It is a gas adjustment for the pilot. Once turned up, it worked. Though Iwouldn’t quite say like a charm.
We have indeed been able to light our oven since adjusting the pilot. Well, at least I have. But I have also needed to readjust the pilot a couple times. If Maytag only would have mentioned the adjustment in the manual, or put someone on the phone to offer support, we could have been baking fries for our burgers long ago. And they could have saved the cost of a warranty service call.
The topper was how the repairman insisted on a copy of our sales receipt as proof of purchase for the warranty. We don’t exactly have a copier in our rig. After explaining I could take a picture of our only copy and email a PDF to somebody, I finally got an email address out of the man. But only after he called his office to get it, and proudly told me how he had recently emailed a photograph to his son.
If you have trouble getting your Magic Chef oven to remain lit, and you probably will someday, try this before calling an inept repairman:
- Disassemble and clean out the pilot assembly. Be careful not to lose the one small part that falls out when you unscrew the nut!
- Adjust the tiny screw on the front of the thermostat assembly behind the knob. Loosen it to increase the pilot flame size.
- If you must call a repairman and are still under warranty, swing by Office Depot or somewhere and make a copy of your sale receipt first.
the pilot is lighting and that’s all it’s doing what could be wrong
Not sure Sean, but if my pilot lit and the burner didn’t I would disassemble the pilot and burner to see if anything was clogged. If the pilot remains lit, the thermocouple should be OK. The only other thing may be a kink in the line like I discovered prohibiting free flow of enough fuel. Aside from that, hopefully others can provide better advice. Good luck!
Jim, the pilot light always stays lite and get big to heat the t coupling do you think then t coupling is going bad this oven looks like it has never been used just bought trailer 2 months ago 03 I have tried blowning line out took everything apart have not taken oven out yet that will be nexts
Well, the pilot won’t light if the thermocouple is working, sounds like it’s not getting enough gas. I’d check the supply line.
I have a Maytag Majic Chef 22in rv oven in a 97 motorhome.This oven range top works perfectly and the pilot light lights fine in the oven. When I turn the oven on the pilot flame increases and the oven burner will lite well for a few seconds then go out. This happens but not every time. Is this a valve issue and if so which one ? Why does it seem to be fine but will not stay on ? All other gas appliances in the motor home are all working fine.
Thanks for commenting Andy! Sounds like you have a very similar issue as Todd. Please see my replies to him, hopefully others may chime in her too. Good luck!
The issue I am having, is we get the Pilot lit in the oven, but the burner will not click on. WE have checked the lines and are clear. Could the burner have gone out? It is an older camper, but the stover is newer and of course there is no manual to be found anywhere.
Hi Michelle, if you mean the oven burner, there’s nothing much to it, so just make sure it’s not plugged up anywhere. But it sounds like a thermocouple issue. A bad thermocouple will keep the burner from igniting, and if it was OK you might have gotten a surprise by now when trying to ignite a plugged up burner assembly filled with gas. Does the pilot stay lit on it’s own? The thermocouple is designed to turn off the gas and/or keep the burner from igniting if it doesn’t stay hot from the pilot light. Good luck!
My magic chief oven will come 1-4 time with good flame then it’s like there is no gas ck gas full burner on top work fine help can fix if I new what to replace
The first thing I would check is to see if the pilot assembly is securely tightened. I’ve noticed the nut on ours often loosens up over time. After that I would disassemble, clean and replace the pilot. But as I described in this post, it turned out being a kink in the line. Maybe others here will have better advice. Good Luck!
Really helpful! First time RV Family, that just dove straight into full-timing and we’re working out a few kinks as we go. Thanks for the help guys! Our Magic Chef works perfect, for now (knock on wood) but I know where to come to resolve any future problems.
@sean Thanks for the comment. Happy Travels! Be sure to check out the Fulltime Families site too.
I have a very old Magic Chef RV Range, Model 130 F. The oven thermocouple needs to be replaced, but the range is so old that the company does not recognize the model and is no help at all. Does anyone out there have the part number for the thermocouple for this range?
Hmmmm… the model number of our range discussed in this post is #CLY222OBDB. Try RepairClinic.com, that’s where we ordered our replacement thermocouple. Just be sure to measure the length! While our part number matched, the one we got was too short. Cleaning up the old one got it working again. Good luck!
The pilot light in my Magic Chef oven would not stay lit. This almost caused a divorce because my wonderful wife could not impress our camping club with her new reciept. Something that needed to be cooked in an oven. Our RV is new so there were high expectations.
I read all I could about this problem, but have discovered a solution that so far works for me.
Pull the plastic nob off the oven control and press in on the brass shaft. There is quite a bit of travel. I concluded that with the nob in place and depressed the metal shield behind the nob stopped the full movement of the brass shaft (this valve may not have been opened completely.)
Solution: but tiny balls of aluminum foil inside the plastic nob to take up space. May take several. Insert nob over shaft to pack the foil tightly until you feel that there is sufficent travel to open the valve. Seems to be the solution for me. Pizza and beer in the RV and I’m still married.
Congratulations on the tinfoil that saved your marriage, and thanks for the tip!
We have a magic chef range in our rv and we cannot get the oven to work. The pilot will light but the oven will not come on. We have replaced the thermocupler, the knob controller and the other regulator value up top and it has still not solved the problem. And Idea’s?
So, the pilot lights but the burner won’t? That’s a tricky one. Aside from making sure the element is not clogged, and that the gas line is not kinked or impeding flow somehow, I wouldn’t know where to begin with that one. Hopefully someone else might chime in with better advice. Thanks for asking and good luck!
Hi Judy,
Ever get a resolution to this probmem? I have the same issue, I can light the pilot but not the burner. Grrrrr.
We never had that exact problem, but I would recommend pulling the oven out just enough to access the supply line and straighten any kinks out. That was our problem – a pinched line restricting the gas flow. I might also disassemble the burner and clean all orifices thoroughly. Good luck!
Also if the thermocouple has two wires going to it, one of them is a ground. Make sure the screw is tight as the pilot will be eratic if the screw is not tight.
Thanks for adding this tip!
on my older Tappan series 110 series stove model 30-2251-0008. The top burners work fine. oven does not come on when knob is turned on. I noticed it has a thermo couple but I don’t know how to light the pilot. Can you tell me how to light the pilot?
Sorry, I don’t know about the Tappan oven. On our Magic Chef, we turn the dial to pilot and hold it in while keeping a flame under the pilot long enough for the thermocouple to warm up so the pilot will stay lit. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I can light the pilot on my magic chef oven, but all I hear is the sound of gas coming thru the line. Then if not turned off it will ignite the gas. I have no iea ho to fix . Any help would be great.
Hmmm… it won’t light, but it lights? Not sure about the problem you’re describing. But I would clean the orifice for the the pilot and the burner register, then make sure everything is tight. Sounds like you might also be getting too much air, especially if the flame sputters. Thanks for asking, and good luck!
You will probably find the thermocouple is on the way out and that’s why it’s requiring a larger flame to generate the millivolts required to keep your gas valve open after you release your finger. I’d be installing a new thermocouple and make sure the pilot plays directly on to the top half inch of the sensor and isn’t skewed or misdirected. Return the pilot strength to minimum required to keep gas valve open. Thermocouples are cheap and have a lifecycle similar to a lightglobe.
Thanks for the suggestions. Our problem was due to a kinked gas line behind the oven. We discovered it when replacing the thermocouple – which turned out to be too short – even though it was the right part number. So be careful where you buy!
Glad to be of assistance.
And thank you for sharing this!
oh my god……..one hundred times thank you,,,,,,,i was at the point to buying expensive new parts that i did not need,the internet rocks,,,,i did as noted on your blog and bam my oven works great,,,,,,,,,also my i note that when u expose the set screw to adjust piolt light on the right of knob is another set screw to adjust the gas flow to the broiler burner,,,,turn screw counterclockwise for a perfect flame………….again thanx don & deb
If you leave the pilot lit for a while with the door closed and it doesn’t explode open, you’re not getting any gas to the main burner. I’d disassemble the burner assembly and clean all the parts. There aren’t many.
If that doesn’t do it, the line may be kinked behind the oven. That’s what happened with mine. Just a few screws hold the oven in place. Slide it slightly forward if you have to and see if the gas line is crimped. If so, bend it straight. Worked for me. Good luck!
hello we have recently bought a travel trailer its a 1984 magic chef oven. We cannot figure out how to get this puppy lit. we don’t have any problem getting the pilot light lit that is a peice of cake it’s getting the oven lit that is a big mystery! does anybody have any ideas? the people we bought it from had difficulties getting it to work also and have since forgotten how to do it.
Hmmm … thanks for asking Mike! The only adjustment I know of is the small set screw next to the oven temperature dial that regulates the amount of gas to the pilot, and I presume the broiler flame. Sounds like your thermostat may need to be replaced. This should be as easy as replacing the pilot thermocouple I replaced.
My Magic Chef oven is 120 degrees off.
To get the oven to heat to 350 I have to put the dial on almost 475
does anyone have any idea how to adjust the temperature on the oven?
Mike
Hi,
my friend got soma problems with her oven /Maytag RV oven ( she is cooking dinner for us this weekend ).
I’ll send her a link to your blog.
Thanks.
Thanks for commenting Bryce! Glad you found it helpful…
Thanks for writing this up. We got a used travel trailer with a fussy Magic Chef oven and were wondering how to use it until we found this. The stovetop worked like a charm, but the oven was a mystery to us.
Thanks for asking Joann! We couldn’t find the manual online for download, but we do have a copy. All it contains is standard usage and maintenance (cleaning) instructions. There is no installation, repair, or troubleshooting section.
I just finished replacing the pilot assembly in ours because the oven was still giving us trouble. They sent the wrong replacement thermocouple – too short, even though correct part number – so I just cleaned our old one with a Brillo pad. It lights just fine now. This might have been the problem, or it could have been the kink in the pilot gas line.
I’m telling you this because we have read that it is usually the thermocouples that fail first, causing problems with these ovens. Try cleaning yours with an S.O.S. pad or some steel wool. the one that regulates oven temperature is the small silver one at the top rear of the oven.
If you have to replace it, or the knob assembly, it is fairly straightforward, even without a manual. The oven slides out easily once you remove the four screws in the top sides, and two on the bottom under the door. Just be sure to turn off your gas tank and disconnect the large copper gas line under the range top. We got our Maytag RV oven replacement parts at repairclinic.com.
I am having problems with the temperature control on my Magic Chef range. I bought the travel trailer used and can not find a manual for it. But I did find a note that said the manual is P/N 9-25130-1. Does anyone know where I can download a copy of this manual?
all u had 2 do was ask !
Did you indicate that you knew where a manual for a Magic Chef RV range could be obtained? I too bougt a used RV with no manuals. Would appreciate it if you could email me the information on where to obtain the manual
Thank You
Sorry, no. We have a hard copy manual, and when researching this issue we could not find any others online. Good luck! If you do find a download link for the manual, please reply with an update.
I’d certainly like to get a copy of the magic chef owner manual.
Thanks
Thanks. Good info for another Arctic Fox owner experiencing similar problems.